Sunday, December 19, 2010

Ducks

Bug and I had a herding lesson yesterday. Diane hadn't sorted any sheep or ducks when we arrived so she asked what we wanted to work on. We are attending a 3 day clinic at the end of January that will focus on ducks and the last time we worked ducks was the winter of 2008. So...we worked ducks.

Ugh. That sums up how I feel about the lesson. I feel exactly like the first few times we worked sheep. I couldn't seem to do anything right; I was repeatedly in the wrong place; I repeatedly, and ACCIDENTALLY, verbally corrected Bug at the WRONG times. It felt like a complete disaster. That being said I do distinctly remember Diane saying, "That was nice" and "Good dog" multiple times.

Bug was diving into the ducks a lot. Fortunately for us the ducks started correcting him by themselves (by flapping) so we did not need to (as much).

We worked the full hour + taking only one break. By the end of the lesson Bug was working a LOT better - I think because I was running out of dog!

The disconcerting news is that Bug is still being super spooky about the rake and stock stick. We started with a homemade stock stick that was made from very thin pvc. Then we moved to a traditional stock stick. Then, because Bug was still being spooky, Diane went inside and got a shorter stock stick she has. She said we might have to start working with a piece of hose instead - that is how spooky Bug was acting about it.

This spookiness started the week before our first lesson. the good news is it is not because of our lesson. The bad news is I have no idea why he is acting so spooky. He is acting spooky at home too. He is very leery of sudden movements. I need to schedule Bug's annual vet appointment. I have the week off between Christmas and New Years so I am hoping to go then. I don't know what the vet will be able to offer, but I am going to talk to her about how spooky he is acting. I know dogs can start to act spooky with TBDs. We'll see if the vet has any other thoughts.

If we can not get to the bottom of it with conventional medicine I think I will make an initial appointment for him with Dr. F., the homeopathic vet.

The great news is that Bug worked very hard, for a long time, and....he was not stiff afterward. Hallelujah!!

About Me

Homeopathy Blog for the Boy

Ike

Silvermist Icebreaker NAC, CL1-R CL1-H (CGC TDI)

Ike is the first dog that is purely my own. We have overcome some big hurdles with his fear of people (how can you avoid them!) and continue to work on building our confidence in the sport of agility. Ike takes life at a much slower speed than I do, which is a challenge. My goal for our partnership is to figure out a sport or joint activity that Ike and I can enjoy equally and excel at together. This would be in addition to Ike's #1 sport, lounging on the couch; which I don't really enjoy or excel at.

Carmen

Carmen is a 9 yo salt-n-pepper Miniature Schnauzer from the same breeder as Ike. I started working with Carmen in the winter of '08 after my DH told me we could not get another dog until the end of 2008 (enter Bug 5/08). Little did I know how much joy she would take in agility and what a spitfire she would be. We are having a ton of fun working together. Unfortunately, Carmen was diagnosed with PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy) in 10/08 and has been retired as her vision continues to change.

Bug (Honor)

CH Visions Cornerstone Dream On (CGC) TN-N

Bug (fka Honor) is a 5 year old CWC. He is a blue merle with tan points, a LOVELY temperament and a great work ethic. He finished his AKC championship 7/3/2010. Bug is looking forward to playing in Rally Obedience and tracking/Noseworks.